In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Betrayal

One of soul's defects that brutally affects our ties with our Creator as well as our relationships with others is betrayal. Betraying is an unfaithful act characterized by deliberate but hidden deceiving, lying and scheming. Because of the intentional secretive planning that is involved in betrayal, its victims are always taken by surprise. The most harmful consequence of betraying is the sudden and abrupt destruction of the bond of trust, loyalty, and confidence that exists in different kinds of social relations. This results in a deep sense of disappointment and serious damage of the integrity of such relationships.

[8:27] O you who believe, do not betray GOD and the messenger, and do not betray those who trust you, now that you know.

Students of the Quran know that all the elements which might be involved in the ugly course of betrayal are clearly highlighted as prohibited bad behavior and immorality, and therefore condemned by God.

[17:38] All bad behavior is condemned by your Lord.

[24:19] Those who love to see immorality spread among the believers have incurred a painful retribution in this life and in the Hereafter. GOD knows, while you do not know.

Those elements might be summarized as:

- Cheating, hypocrisy, and breaking promises :

[26:183] "Do not cheat the people out of their rights, and do not roam the earth corruptingly.

[9:119] O you who believe, you shall reverence GOD, and be among the truthful.

You Shall Keep Your Word
[16:91] You shall fulfill your covenant with GOD when you make such a covenant. You shall not violate the oaths after swearing (by God) to carry them out, for you have made GOD a guarantor for you. GOD knows everything you do.
[16:92] Do not be like the knitter who unravels her strong knitting into piles of flimsy yarn. This is your example if you abuse the oaths to take advantage of one another. Whether one group is larger than the other, GOD thus puts you to the test. He will surely show you on the Day of Resurrection everything you had disputed.

[70:32] And the believers keep their word; they are trustworthy.

[9:77] Consequently, He plagued them with hypocrisy in their hearts, till the day they meet Him. This is because they broke their promises to GOD, and because of their lying.

- Deceiving, and conspiring :

[58:9] O you who believe, if you have to confer secretly, you shall not confer to commit sin, transgression, and to disobey the messenger. You shall confer to work righteousness and piety. You shall reverence GOD, before whom you will be summoned.
[58:10] Secret conspiracy is the devil's idea, through which he seeks to hurt those who believed. However, he cannot hurt them against GOD's will. In GOD the believers shall trust.

- Beating around the bush, and manipulating facts are choices made by betrayers over being straightforward in order to deceive and hit the target with minimal damage to their fake image. We are not righteous if we are not straightforward.

Do Not Beat Around the Bush
[2:189] They ask you about the phases of the moon! Say, "They provide a timing device for the people, and determine the time of Hajj." It is not righteous to beat around the bush;* righteousness is attained by upholding the commandments and by being straightforward. You shall observe GOD, that you may succeed.

- Backbiting:

[49:12] O you who believe, you shall avoid any suspicion, for even a little bit of suspicion is sinful. You shall not spy on one another, nor shall you backbite one another; this is as abominable as eating the flesh of your dead brother. You certainly abhor this. You shall observe GOD. GOD is Redeemer, Most Merciful.

Motives for betraying could be any of the Satanic emotions he injects into our hearts sickening our souls such as jealousy, envy, hatred, greed, ego, and passion to power and control. Like all forms of sins, we betray when we choose Satan's points of views over God's. He, then, continues to justify evil for only one sole purpose: breaking our covenants with God. When the betrayers fail to realize that lowly trap, fix their works, and repent, Satan keeps on stirring them up in an endless circle of misguidance, and pollution, making them lose their logic and the ability to reason. God has warned His sincere servants against those who are stuck in that vicious circle in 5:13.

Consequences of Violating God's Covenant
[5:13] It was a consequence of their violating the covenant that we condemned them, and we caused their hearts to become hardened. Consequently, they took the words out of context, and disregarded some of the commandments given to them. You will continue to witness betrayal from them, excepting a few of them. You shall pardon them, and disregard them. GOD loves those who are benevolent.

When they believe Satan's justification of betrayal, betrayers think that God is not aware of their actions! This is expressed in the following verses. It is also not recommended by God to defend any of the unethical acts:

[29:4] Do those who commit sins think that they can ever fool us? Wrong indeed is their judgment.

[9:78] Do they not realize that GOD knows their secrets, and their conspiracies, and that GOD is the Knower of all secrets?

Do Not Defend the Transgressors
[4:107] Do not argue on behalf of those who have wronged their own souls; GOD does not love any betrayer, guilty.
[4:108] They hide from the people, and do not care to hide from GOD, though He is with them as they harbor ideas He dislikes. GOD is fully aware of everything they do.You Do Not Help Them by Being "Nice"
[4:109] Here you are arguing on their behalf in this world; who is going to argue with GOD on their behalf on the Day of Resurrection? Who is going to be their advocate?

As believers we are commanded to stand up for our rights in the face of any form of aggression (26:227, 42:39). Standing up for our rights is always a practice for advocating justice as well as a chance to address and proclaim the commands that are violated by the aggressive party. Those who are betrayed are commanded by God to fight back equitably.

[8:58] When you are betrayed by a group of people, you shall mobilize against them in the same manner. GOD does not love the betrayers.

Those who betray God and the believers don't realize that they cannot hurt us in the least. They are only betraying their own souls and they are destined to lose the battle. God has promised to defend those on the straight path.

[43:76] It is not us who wronged them; it is they who wronged their own souls.

[8:71] And if they want to betray you, they have already betrayed GOD. This is why He made them the losers. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.

God Defends the Believers
[22:38] GOD defends those who believe. GOD does not love any betrayer, unappreciative.

God Suffices the Believers
[8:62] If they want to deceive you, then GOD will suffice you. He will help you with His support, and with the believers.

God Protects The Believers
[27:50] They plotted and schemed, but we also plotted and schemed, while they did not perceive.

All Dignity Belongs With God
[35:10] Anyone seeking dignity should know that to GOD belongs all dignity. To Him ascends the good words, and He exalts the righteous works. As for those who scheme evil works, they incur severe retribution; the scheming of such people is destined to fail.

Peaceful Friday, salaam and God bless.

Whenever you want to pursue the truth and verify anything you hear about Islam, we urge you to please use the only valid and divine source of Islam, Quran.